Playing For Time

Kevin wonders why the White House appears to be bobbling the Roberts nomination citing this article in the Washington Post this morning:

Thrown on the defensive by recent revelations about Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr.’s legal work, White House aides are delaying the release of tens of thousands of documents from the Reagan administration to give themselves time to find any new surprises before they are turned into political ammunition by Democrats.

[…]

While the White House plays catch-up in studying Roberts’s past, it is facing complaints from some of its conservative supporters about what they feel has been a stumbling campaign for the nominee.

Sean Rushton, director of the conservative Committee for Justice, said in the days after the nomination “there was a drop-off of message and focus.”

I think this is mostly kabuki. There had always been concern that Roberts was being nominated too early — a clearly political decision to take the heat off of the Plame investigation:

… a conservative icon in Washington is worried because the White House rejected his advice regarding the timing of its announcement of Roberts’ nomination to the Supreme Court. Free Congress Foundation founder and president Paul Weyrich says opposition groups will now have a month to rally their forces and voice their opinions on Roberts before hearings begin in late August.

“I pleaded with the White House not to make the appointment until the end of August because if it is made now, and Congress then goes out of session, you will have all the left-wing groups screaming about the appointee,” Weyrich says. That vocal opposition has already begun.

According to Weyrich, the White House response to his request was lukewarm. “You know, it was just a ‘thanks for your input’ type of thing,” he recalls. “I’m not sure they really comprehend what will happen to their nominee if the nominee’s good.”

Weyrich voices concern that the month-long interval before hearings begin will give those opposed to Roberts time to build their objections to a fever pitch. He says that happened once before to another Supreme Court nominee — Robert Bork.

They knew there was going to be time to sully Roberts which is why they have “just decided now” to thoroughly review all these documents before they can release them.

I don’t deny that there is probably some disarray at the White House. They have been off their game for a while. But I think they probably decided they could draw out the fact-finding enough through the month of August to make nominating him early worthwhile. It’s risky for them. Who knows what could seep out? But they are now in precarious enough waters that they have to take some political risks.

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